The purpose of this study is to create rich, descriptive portraits of the identity perceptions of three female, Mexican American adolescents, as revealed through selected texts of multiple sign systems. These portraits support the concept that identity is a continuum which is complex, dynamic, and multi-faceted. The identities of the participants encompass elements which were derived from each participant individually as well as from their relationships of connection to or opposition of others. Discussing concepts of identity with the participants exemplified that one's identity is a process which is continually evolving and transforming. This transformative process involves experiences of tension, observation, reflection, and action which encourage an individual to adjust, add, or discard particular elements of one's identity. Each participant's integrated self identity entails their individual and relational elements as well as the changes made through tension, observation, reflection, and action. The ethnographic case study design of the research facilitated an exploration of the complexities of constructing one's identity as an adolescent who must reconcile aspects of culture, gender, and class. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews, participant and non-participant observation in various data collection sites including school, home, and work, and the gathering of written, visual, and auditory artifacts such as poetry, personal writing, photographs, drawings, and music. Data were analyzed inductively and compared, and case studies reported the findings. The portraits of these three young women illustrate the importance of providing our adolescent students with classroom opportunities to explore and construct their identities through texts of multiple sign systems. By expanding the concept of text to include multiple ways of knowing, educators invite students to express themselves through a variety of sign systems with which they may feel more comfortable. They may use "conventional" literacy, such as reading and writing, and "unconventional" literacies, including music, art, and movement. The portraits of the three female adolescents emphasize the necessity to embrace and seek to understand the multiple identities of our adolescent students, rather than judging them on assumptions made based on their race, class, or gender.

Smokers who successfully quit smoking gain weight; although important factors have been identified the mechanisms remain unclear. We measured changes in body weight, fat distribution, and dietary intake of macronutrients during a 26 week smoking cessation trial with the use of nicotine and placebo patch in a Hispanic sample of smokers (88% Mexican-American). Participants were randomized to receive patch treatment for 10 weeks and then followed for 16 weeks. We found that nicotine treated quitters experienced significantly less weight gain than placebo treated quitters at 6 weeks; however by 26 weeks, there were no significant differences among treatment groups. We found that percent total body fat (%TBF) for nicotine treated female quitters changed significantly less than for placebo treated female quitters at 10 weeks (p<0.05); there were no treatment differences in change in %TBF for males at 10 weeks. Male and female quitters experienced significantly less change in %TBF at 26 weeks than continued smokers (adjusted for treatment). Dietary intake of total energy, percent of total energy consumed as fat, protein, and carbohydrate were not significantly different by treatment group from BL for males or females. Thus, although body weight increased significantly in quitters versus non-quitters; dietary intake of macronutrients did not change significantly from BL for quitters and non-quitters. This suggests that factors other than changes in energy intake are responsible for the weight gain observed in this sample of Hispanic ex-smokers.

This research serves as an attempt to tell the story of student and faculty experiences at three departments in a Land Grant university in the United States, called Aspiring University. The story helps to reveal factors which have attributed to low graduation rates of ethnic minority (African American, Hispanic, and Native American) students at the institution. Background information, including a thorough literature review and discussion of research methodology, is provided. The research utilized data from The University of Arizona's National Graduation Rate Study, and was constructed around the framework of the Retention Assessment Model. Analysis revealed six themes (a surreal community, identity and isolation, diversity and pedagogy, mixed messages, weeding out, and who's responsible?), organized around the factors of environment and expectations, as possible answers to the question of why ethnic minority students are retained and graduate from AU at rates lower than predicted.

The American Indian concept of warriorhood is a direct reflection of their warrior ancestors. Today, many Native American celebrations and ceremonies pay homage to their warrior/veterans. Many of these ceremonies are to cleanse the veteran of the trauma of combat. This is not a new phenomenon. Native celebrations and ceremonies are a direct link to the culture, religion and ancient conception of warriorhood among American Indian nations today. In social gatherings like the American Indian Pow Wow, Native people have always honored their warriors. The only difference is that in these modern times these warriors will be called veterans. Ways of honoring these warrior/veterans may vary from nation (tribe) to nation or region to region, but the tradition of honoring ceremonies has been handed down through the centuries in social gatherings like the American Indian Pow Wow. The conception of the warrior is basically unchanged since the old days of native societies to these modern times of life on an Indian Reservation. The Indian warrior has always been a protector of his people. This warrior conception is explained in depth in the introduction. The Native concept of the warrior today is only a reflection of what that same conception was hundreds of years ago, even longer in many respects. What this means is a warrior was looked upon as a protector. The old Indian warrior codes of honor of those by gone days are now replaced by the U.S. Military code of honor. This concept fits well with the warrior/veterans of today. Because in truth, Indians have become Americans over the past one hundred years. After all is said and done, The American Indian's willingness to fight for this country is also a reflection of his ancestors' willingness to fight for this land. In the last analysis American Indians have always fought for this land.

In the midst of revolution as the Qing Dynasty faded into the twentieth century, metropolitan Chinese Muslim leaders took initiatives in their communities, which shaped change. As a result, a process was set in motion, one that effected the identity of urban Chinese Muslims in more ways than one--within the new political scene nationally, internationally, and in regards to other Muslims in China. The process stimulated a self-awareness among Chinese Muslim urban populations, which promoted new perceptions of their identity as Hui. The process also triggered a debate among Chinese Muslim intellectuals in which ideas of minzu-ness, ethnicity, and religiosity were argued. The process fostered a sense of solidarity among the urban Muslim communities. Chinese Muslim activities paralleled those of other Chinese. Chinese Muslims took part in the New Culture Movement, many joined the army. At the same time they focused attention on improving their communities. This dissertation examines the activities of urban Chinese Muslims: the creation of study groups and associations; the revamping of Muslim schools; and the publishing of books and periodicals. The dissertation is a look at strategies used in adapting to change. The goal has been to illustrate that the Chinese Muslims accepted change, even welcomed it, but in so doing altered perceptions of themselves and their religion. The metropolitan Chinese Muslims got swept up in the enthusiasm of the early republican era. Many influential members of the community endorsed the Nationalists' revolution and the new republic. Chinese Muslim urbanites welcomed modernization and nationalism, seeing them as vehicles that would facilitate their efforts, and protect them. Chinese Muslim motives were nationalistic, as Chinese they wanted a strong China. Their motives were also parochial. They wanted a strong local community, and they actively set out to improve conditions. By strengthening their communities they could insure the survival of Chinese Muslim culture, just as a strong China would insure the survival of Chinese culture.

Over the last ten to fifteen years, an expanding body of research has sought to ascertain whether environmental hazards are distributed equitably according to race and income. While much attention has been paid to the relative ability of each of these variables to predict increased hazard levels, little attention has been paid to the forces giving rise to environmental inequality. This dissertation fills this gap by examining the forces giving rise to the current distribution of industrial pollution in the Detroit metropolitan area. The dissertation addresses three basic questions. First, is there a positive association between manufacturing facility presence and race in the Detroit area? In other words, are blacks more likely than whites to live near potentially hazardous manufacturing facilities? Second, has the distribution of whites and blacks around regional manufacturing facilities changed over time? Third, since it turns out that there is a positive association between facility presence and race in Detroit, why is this the case? Is the racially inequitable distribution of manufacturing facilities in Detroit due to (a) differences in black/white income levels, (b) racist siting practices, or (c) the biased operation of institutional arenas such as the housing market? It turns out that the racially inequitable distribution of manufacturing facilities in the Detroit metropolitan area is not the result of black/white income inequality or racist siting practices. Instead, the distribution of blacks and whites around the region's manufacturing facilities is shaped by residential segregation. Thus, racial status and racism are important determinants of environmental stratification in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Using a random sample of 368 parents of young children in Pima County, Arizona, this study examines the implications of childrearing for social networks. In addition to cross-sectional network data, the study includes retrospective measures of networks at two periods: just before the birth of the respondent's oldest child, and around the time of the oldest child's first birthday. These retrospective longitudinal data permit a detailed assessment of stabilities and changes in parents' social contact patterns, and a discussion of their implications. Expectant parents occupy distinct structural positions related to the timing of parenthood in the life course, relationship status, ethnicity, and gender. In the year following parenthood, many of these differences are attenuated, suggesting that parenthood is itself a unique social position that may reduce the distinguishing power of other structural parameters. But while the networks of parents are, as a whole, more similar to each other than those of expectant parents, gender differences in network characteristics appear to be somewhat enhanced over the transition to parenthood. Cross-sectional data show that involvement in the domestic sphere, rather than sex-category, is especially predictive of network structure. The patterns identified here Will lead to more precise conceptualization and measurement of gender processes, as roles in work, marriage, and parenting gain increasing flexibility.

This research examines the extent to which U.S.-Mexican households invest in the training or education of their female members as an economic strategy in Nogales, Arizona. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the study aimed at three objectives. One objective was to isolate those factors that influence the household's ability or willingness to invest in education as a strategy in order to increase its economic stability. These factors were observed operating at two levels. At the level of labor market structure are those factors that precondition a household's ability to take the risks associated with long-term investments, such as education. At the household level, were factors that constituted sets of socially defined practices affecting the nature of an individual's productive and reproductive labor. The second objective was to analyze the interrelationship of those factors in an attempt to define comparative models of social interaction that explain how educational goals are negotiated. A final objective was to document the experiences and histories of Mexican-origin women, who in negotiating multiple roles, represent an interface between the labor markets and households; and through this information, offer new interpretations and solutions to the problem of their under-education in a region of global transformation. The results of the study indicate that investment in women's education is significantly increased with household stability. In addition, the level of investment for education of household members is raised with her increased educational attainment. It is argued that social exchange mechanisms can be used to improve the rate of education acquisition for women, and by so doing, empower the household economically.

Formal study of music in the United States is based on the Western art music tradition. Nevertheless, there is a philosophy rapidly spreading throughout the United States which holds that musics of many cultures must be taught in the schools. The underlying belief in multicultural music education is that the study of various cultures and their musics will affect our expectations, and consequently broaden our musical preferences. This study investigated the effects of ethnicity on the stated musical preferences of university non-music majors. It was conducted on two university campuses that are in the same area. One campus has a population that is predominantly white American and the other predominantly African American. The subjects were students enrolled in music appreciation classes on both sites. The subjects listened to musical examples from each of the Western art music style periods. They then completed a questionnaire which contained an ethnic attitudes dimension. A week later, they were asked to listen and respond to four musical examples. The playing of this series of musical examples was preceded by biographical information on fictitious composers. The data supported the alternative hypothesis which stated that ratings assigned to music of African American composers and white American composers by all listeners, without regard to ethnicity, would be significantly different. The value of Omnibus p was.002 and is significantly less than the stated alpha level of significance at.05. The data between ethnic groups supports the alternative hypothesis that ratings assigned by white Americans and African Americans would be significantly different. The Omnibus p here is equal to.02. There was no relationship found between the ethnic attitudes and musical preferences of white Americans and African Americans as stated in the null hypothesis. Non-hypothesized questions investigated the effects of the subjects' rank in school, gender, age, grade point average, and university attended. The data supports the conclusion that rank, age, and grade point average, for this investigation, were not significant. Conversely, the data does reveal that gender and universities were found to have a relationship to the ethnic attitudes and musical preferences of the subjects.

I examined the intensive farming systems of the Ziz Valley of southeastern Morocco. The valley is a 250 km long expanse watered by the Ziz River. Surrounded by arid Saharan desert, the valley houses a dense, rapidly growing, and ethnically stratified population of Arabs, Berbers, and Haratine (blacks). Irrigated farming of cereals, olives and dates, and livestock raising dominate the lives of its inhabitants. Upon the analysis of the Ziz data, I reached three major findings. First, despite the unexpected finding that Berbers actually get more out of the same amount of land than Haratine and Arabs, and the fact that the Haratine are not the most productive farmers as hypothesized in the research design of my dissertation, this study underscores the urge to reformulate the theory behind agricultural intensification to incorporate the key variable of ethnicity and its role in making land productive in the analysis of agricultural change. Thus, contrary to current theories which examine social and economic change in terms of agricultural productivity and crop complexes, my findings demonstrate that the same agrarian regimes in the ethnically heterogeneous Ziz Valley differ markedly in production and intensity between ethnic groups, and therefore provide household-level evidence that ethnicity is a key, albeit a heretofore ignored, variable in the processes of economic and social development. Second, the study of ethnicity has dwelt too much on defining what ethnicity is, erecting its boundaries, and outlining its emergence as essential elements in the structuring of social organization between and among groups. However, with the infusion of remittances from abroad the Haratine have made ethnicity a political and economic instrument through which a Haratine corporate group has emerged to resist the ethnic mode of production. Third, ethnic change in the valley, and for that matter throughout the oasis social world of Southern Morocco, could not have risen from within the communities social structures, and the only avenue for the subaltern groups to change their lot in terms of political participation and access to land was to migrate outside the valley, return home with remittances, and undo the pillars of ethnic stratification.